Written in the Stars
by Lady Knight Maud
Summary: What would have happened if Lord Alan had stopped Alanna from becoming a page? Can he change what's written in the stars? What will happen to Tortall? And will Alanna put up with going to the convent or will she become a knight after all? NOT CLASSIC!
1. The incident

Hey, my third (second) fanfic. It's NOT classic. It's very different from other "Alanna goes to the convent"s.

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Chapter 1: The departure**

Maude shook her head. "I cannot make such a decision without help. I must try and See, in the fire."

Thom frowned. "I thought you couldn't. I thought you could only heal."

Maude wiped sweat from her face. She was afraid. "Never mind what I can do and what I cannot do," she snapped, "Alanna, bring wood. "Thom, vervain.

The twins rushed and did as they were told, returning with the required things. Maude knelt before the fire and tossed the leaves onto the fire, her lips moving silently with the sacred words. Power from her and the twins filled the fire and it turned green and purple. Maude drew a deep breath and grabbed the twins left hand, thrusting them into the fire. Power shot up their arms.

Alanna frowned. There was a picture, forming in the fire. But that was impossible- Maude was the only one who should See anything. But anyway it was there, growing and spreading. It was a city all of black, shiny stone. Alanna leaned forward, squinting to see it better. The sun beat down on the towers and walls of the city. Alanna was afraid.

Suddenly Maude let go of the children and the picture vanished. Maude rolles back on her heels. She looked old and tired. "I have seen many things I do not understand," she whispered finally. "Many things…." She sighed. "Very well. Tomorrow Thom and I go to the city of the gods."

The next day Alanna, Thom and Maude arranged everything for the swap. While Thom climbed into a riding shirt, Maude took Alanna to the dressing room to cut her hair. Alanna looked at the floor and waited for the first lock to fall. As it fell, the door burst open. Maude and Alanna turned around and gasped in shock. Lord Alan of Trebond stood in the door frame, his eyes wide and his mouth open.

"Maude, what are you doing?", he shouted. Then he saw the pair of scissors in Maude's hand and the red lock on the floor. "No…no…you…you wanted to cut her hair? How dare you?"

Alanna stepped towards her father and took a deep breath. "Father, please. I can't be a lady, and Thom can't be a knight. Why don't you understand that?"

"Because there is nothing to understand! You will be a lady, like all of the other noble girls. You're not supposed to be a knight! No girl is! Today you're leaving for the convent, but not with Maude, because she just showed me that I can't trust her. You'll be travelling with the maid Charina. Go and change your clothes now." When Alanna was out of the room he looked at Maude. "We'll talk later.", he said and went away.

"Thom!", Alanna cried, knocking on the door to the room in which Thom was dressing. After a few moments he came out, a questioning look on his face.

"What is it?"

"Father. He was here. He saw Maude, cutting my hair. Now he decided that another woman will be travelling with me. What was her name? Char….Charina, I think. I don't think she will agree with the plan and I'm also sure that our dear father will watch over our departure. What do we do now?"

Thom's eyes widened. Their plan wouldn't work and he would have to become a knight….if he would survive. Thom swallowed. "Well, I think there's nothing we can do about it now. We have to put up with it."

Alanna thumped her head at a wall and began to cry. "No," she cried, "No, no, no! I…I can't be a lady!"

Thom laid a hand on her shoulder. "It's not the end of the world, Alanna. You'll go to the convent for six years and I'll become a knight and when that's done, we'll go away. We'll leave all this behind us and we'll go on adventures together. Agreed?"

Alanna turned her head and smiled weakly. "Ok, it's a deal. We'll make it." She put forth her hand and Thom grabbed it. Then the hugged and went out to saddle their horses.

When the twins and their servants came to the meeting of the Trebond Way and the Great Road they stopped their horses to say good-bye.

Alanna smiled a bit at her brother. "So here we are. It's not what we wanted….but we'll make it. Watch your back, Thom"

"I'll have to. Don't forget to write to me. I'll need encouraging letters.", Thom said and tried to smile, too.

"I will. And after six years we'll see again and then we'll do what we want. Look forward to it, Thom."

"Of course. It's the only thing I can look forward to."

The twins hugged one last time and rode in different ways.

When Alanna was out of Thom and Corams sight a tear rolled down her face. It could have worked, but it didn't. _Do I deserve that?_, she asked herself. _I've never done a wrong thing. All I wanted was being a knight, nothing more. Why can't that be. _She looked up. The sky was grey and it was about to rain in a few minutes. The wind pulled on her cloak and made the thin trees bent. It was exactly how she felt. She smiled ironically at her view.

The woman who was travelling with her, Charina, watched her, confused at what she saw on the little girl's face. She didn't know much, but someone had told her that Alanna had wanted to switch places with her brother to become a knight. She couldn't understand that. Why would a little girl want to fight with a heavy sword that she probably couldn't even hold?

Charina decided to talk with Alanna. It made her sad to see a little girl like her staring desperatly in the distance, her eyes blank.

"Lady Alanna, are you sick?"

Alanna quickly turned her head and became red all over her face. "No, no, I feel just fine, thank you."

"What is it then?"

Alanna didn't want to share her thoughts with a maid that she didn't know. She disliked people who barged in other people's businesses. "It's nothing. But the weather is a bit afflicting, isn't it?" She turned her head to the sky and a raindrop fell on her nose.

The maid smiled and shook her head at the secretive and stubborn little girl.

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Please R&R! I promise it gets better. WARNING: It's NOT one of those "Alanna becomes a lady and everything's fine." No, nothing will be fine…..but interesting. I think it will be A/J but really not soon. I'll do the whole "Alanna's life at convent." 


	2. False views

Hey, thanks for your reviews!

**maliaphire: **Well, I can say that Alanna won't die (like in some other fics I saw) but it won't be an 'Alanna-is-a-happy-lady', either.But what do you mean with horrible?

**Bambolieblue: **Charine won't take more part in the story than she already has. You'll never read about her again, sorry. She was just some servant.

Andnow, on with the story...

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**Chapter 2: False views**

A few days later...

"Lady Alanna, look, we're almost there," Charina shouted.

Alanna, deep in thoughts about how she could be a warrior without being at the palace, looked up. In front of her she saw a huge castle-like city with amazing and big wall, surrounded by beautiful snow covered mountains. Although there was very less grass and there were hardly any trees, Alanna would have called it 'gorgeous' if she hadn't been that angry at that place.

They rode through the high adorned gates and immediately a lady came to greet them. The woman looked old and crinckles were encasing her smiling mouth and her stern looking eyes. She was a very weird mix of sociability and sternness.

"You must be Alanna, the girl with the flaming red hair and the purple eyes. Fascinating! Come on and dismount, our servants will look after your horse and your luggage.", she said.

Alanna dismounted and patted her horse. "I would like to look after my horse myself," she told the woman, then she remembered her manners and added quickly, "if that's possible."

The old woman frowned. "That's not a thing for ladies to do, such things do servants, maids or men, but surely not ladies. You could get dirty."

Alanna clenched her fists. She knew she wouldn't get along with that woman, but she had to, somehow. She would really like to say, 'I'm no lady', but she decided not to do so. It was never a good idea to make enemies right at the beginning. "I understand, mylady."

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She had been at the convent for a few weeks and she began to realize that life at the convent was far worse than she had expected it to be. They had to walk through a big empty room for hours, keeping their backs straight, putting one foot exactly in front of the other and all this with a beautiful smile on their faces. Alanna fell about ten times before she was able to walk like that from one end of the room to the other. 

The girls were taught the difference between talking to a knight and to a Duke and to the king or the queen. Alanna thought it boring and all of that stuff annoyed her. Why couldn't she say things like **she** wanted to say them?

That was the worst thing. The personality of all the girls were taken away. It seemed as if every girl was talking and thinking exactly the same within just one month. Only Alanna didn't. She fought for what she believed in everytime she could. She didn't listen to the teachers and her thoughts were always somewhere else. She got the punishments ever and she was some kind of outsider. She didn't want to talk to the other girls since she knew what they were talking of and as time passed by more and more girls began to think she was weird. They avoided her and some even called her names.

One day a servant came to her room and said the First Daughter wanted to see her. Immediately. Alanna knew what that meant. Nothing good. Alanna leaned on a wall and sighed.

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In the office of the First Daughter…. 

The First Daughter looked friendly and nice at the first look, but her eyes gave away that she was strict and grim. Alanna wondered why she tried to look friendly if she was about to punish her or something like that. She doubtet that the First Daughter wanted to tell her something nice.

"Alanna, please sit down," she began. Then she cleared her throat. "Your teachers told me they have problems with you. They say you don't listen to them and that you haven't learned anything by now. Is that true?"

Alanna nodded in silence. The First Daughter sighed. "Alanna, you're here to learn how to be a lady. That's your duty. And if you go on like that, you'll never be one. How are you supposed to find a husband at court if you don't learn how to be a lady?"

Alanna clenched her fists and tried to keep her voice low. "I didn't ask to be here. I don't want to be a lady and a husband is the last thing I want."

The First Daughter gasped. "But Alanna, you're a noble girl!"

"And? Not all girls are the same. I want to be a knight. Who's the damned person that says I have to be a 'lady'?", Alanna shouted.

"The king and the kings before him. Noble men are to become knights, sorcerers, priests, or healers and noble women are to become ladies. It's been like that for ages!"

"And why? Why are women just to look at? Why can't we do something important?"

"Men are wise and strong. Women are fragile and easily affected. Men are the ones to make decisions and fight for the kingdom. They can do that better."

Alanna stood up and screamed, "That's not true! We only think that because the men make us think that. But that doesn't mean it's true!"

The First Daughter shook her head in disbelieve. "You're a little girl. You know nothing!"

Alanna stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her. She ran down the corridor and fled in her room. She sat down on her bed and began to cry because of anger. She had just realized something. She wasn't angry at the convent or at the teachers anymore. They just didn't know better. It was the men she was angry at. They were the ones that didn't let her become a knight and that turned the women into objects. Things to look at and play with. Like toys. It was disgusting. Men, she meant. She hated them. All of them, except for her brother. He was the light at that dark convent. For her.

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Will Alanna ever trust a man again? And what will she do the become a warrior after all? Will she put up with her fate? Or is the convent not her fate? And what happens when the Sweating Sickness comes?Next chapter comes in about two or three days. I promise. 


	3. The book

Thanks for the nice reviews!

And I forgot it again….like in my first ff.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All belongs to Tamora Pierce.

And now, on with the story...

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**Chapter 3: The book**

As the second month at the convent began, Alanna decided she didn't just want to sit around and wait until she could leave. She didn't want to waste her time. She wanted to learn how to fight now. But how? She doubtet that any woman at the convent knew how to handle a sword. Alanna laughed at the imagination of a girl like Lady Delia of Eldorn with a weapon in her hand. She had to learn it otherwise….

The convent was far away from any town so it was hopeless to find a teacher. _How do you learn things if you haven't got a teacher, _Alanna wondered, _From books! That's it! _(A/N: I know that's a silly idea, but I didn't have any better. Maybe she finds a magic book or something…) The City of the Gods had a library for the priests and sorcerers but girls were not allowed to go there, so she couldn't go there when she could be seen. The library was closed at ten and then a servant came to clean it up. It was big so Alanna had a chance not to be seen if she was careful.

On Saturday there was a party at the convent in honor of the First Daughter's birthday. The party started at eight and ended at quarter past ten. No one would expect Alanna to attend the party, because it was without obligation. But she had to be quick. If Sandria, her room mate, returned from the party and if she saw that Alanna was not in her room she would get suspicious. It was a five-minutes-walk from the convent to the library so she had ten minutes to find the right book.

As the day came, Alanna became nervous. If they would catch her she would probably never have the chance to get a book again…. At quarter to ten Alanna sat on her bed and waited, chewing her fingernails. She went over the plan again and hoped it would work. Then she stood up and climbed out of her window. She had luck. There was a tree, exactly in front of her window so she could easily reach the ground. She wrapped her cloak thight around her body and put the hood of it over her hair. She couldn't risk that somebody saw something red.

Alanna looked around. Nothing. She walked through the wide streets of the city until she reached the back of the library. She sneaked to the front and looked around the corner. She almost gasped at the sight. Lady Delia of Eldorne was kissing a priest. That was forbidden. The girls at the convent weren't allowed to kiss anyone until they went to court to find a husband. And priests….priests weren't allowed to kiss anyone for their whole life. Alanna's mouth went open and shut several times. Then she realized that she couldn't get into the library until the two were standing in front of it. She had to scare them off somehow. She picked up a large stone and threw it as far away as she could. It made a loud bump and the two 'lovers' jumped apart immediately. They looked around and went separate ways. As they were out of sight Alanna entered the library.

By the sound of the footsteps the servant had to be on the second floor. Fortunately the books about knights, wars and fighting were on the first floor, like most of the other books. (A/N: Please don't ask me how Alanna knows all those things, okay? She just knows them) Alanna tiptoed around the room until she found the bookshelf she was looking for. A book caught her eye. It was an old, bulky book, bound in leather. It was very dusty and some pages were torn but still it looked precious. 'The magic in the fighting arts' was written on it. Alanna grabbed it and quickly left the library.

She hadn't had time to read the book when she returned to her room. Sandria had opened the door just as Alanna had closed the window behind her. The next day was the girl's free day. Sunday. They could go to the little market of the city, take a walk, go swimming in summer or just relax. It was a warm spring day and most of the girls were outside and so was Sandria. Alanna took the book and blew the dust away. She sat on the ground and opened it. Alanna frowned. The pages were blank. She just wanted to slam the book against a wall she heard a sound. It came from the book. Alanna's eyes widened. It was a weird voice and it seemed to laugh at her. _So you want to learn the art of fighting?_, it asked her with it's deep, echoing voice, _Then show me of which stuff you're made of. _

Two brooms, which were leaning in one corner of the room, came flying towards Alanna. The brooms threw of their brush-wood and looked like staffs now. One of them flew in Alanna's hands and the other one levitated about two metres away from her. Alanna took the staff in two hands and suddenly the other staff attacked her. Alanna blocked it and stumbled backwards.

_Make sure you stand safe! _

_And don't always block. Attack!_

_Faster!_

Alanna did how she was told and it went on like that for hours. When the sunset came Alanna's muscles hurt like they never did before.

_Stop it!_, the voice told her. _I don't want you to collapse. _And with that the book closed and levitated under Alanna's bed. She sighed. She felt as if all of her bones were broken, but still it had been her best day at the convent. From now on she practiced everytime she could.

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And? How did you like it? Next chapter: The sweating sickness

And please REVIEW!


	4. The Sweating Sickness

Hi! Thanks for the reviews! They're my bright spots on boring school days! ;-)

**Please read:** I have a problem. Where will Alanna get lightning from? If you have any ideas, please tell me.

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Chapter 4:** The Sweating Sickness 

A big figure, wrapped in a black cloak, stood in the middle of a forest. Next to her was a little fountain. The figure took its hood off and revealed a woman with long black her and stunning crimson lips. She looked in the fountain. A picture appeared. It showed a healers' tent. All beds were occupied. The healers worked hard, their eyes showed that they must have been working for days without sleeping, but one patient after the other died. A tear dropped into the water. The picture blured. Now it showed a small room full of priest crowding around one bed. They were chanting prayers for the dying boy in the bed. He had black hair and sapphire eyes. The incense in the room made it hard to breath. How could the little boy get well in these circumstances? Another tear dropped into the water. The woman's eyes were full of sorrow. She looked up into the sky.

Flashback…..

_The woman sat on her knees. All around her was black, exept for a little twinkling star above her._

_'The time has come', said a voice. It was deep and melodious. 'The time when we have to trust in one little girl. The downfall is near. An evil sorcerer will come and lure the kingdom on to destruction.'_

_The scene changed. Now the woman was kneeling on a street in Corus, the capital of Tortall. The people she saw were peaky and they wore only tatters. A plump man with valuable clothes passed by. Behind him stumbled a boy, chained around his throat. He wore only a loincloth. The woman gasped. It wasn't allowed to have slaves in Tortall._

_The street and the people vanished. All was dark again.'That's what will happen if the sorcerer succeeds.Our only hope is the girl with the purple eyes and the copper hair. She has to perform her task. She has to save the Royal Family and prove to the world that women can fight. If she doesn't, the world, like we used to know it, is doomed.' The voice faded._

End of Flashback….

Now the woman cried. The girl with the purple eyes wasn't were she should be. She should be in the room where the prince was dying. She should save him. But where was she? At the convent, forced to become a lady. The woman knew she had to do something. The power of the little girl was needed. The woman looked in the fountain again. Now it showed a girl with copper hair in a small room. She practiced with a staff, fighting against another staff, which was levitating. The woman smiled a little bit. Maybe the girl could still perform her task.It was clear that she was a warrior, not a lady.The woman turned around and put forth her hand. Glistening light appeared on her palm and encased the woman. As it wore of, the woman wasn't there anymore.

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A little girl with copper hair ran after a boy, who looked exactly like the girl, except for the length of his hair. The twins laughed and seem to enjoy themselves. Suddenly flamboyant light dazzled Alanna.

Then she fell. She fell down a dark tunnel. Shrieks and screams came from every where around her, but they seemed to be far away. Alanna looked down on her. She was burning with purple magic. It hurt.

'Call him back!', a voice chimed in her head. It was the voice of a woman, but it was clear that it wasn't ment for human ears. Alanna's body rebelled against the power of the fire. It seemed as if the magic was soaking up all of her power. She couldn't control it, it was too powerful. It controlled her. Alanna fought against it. Tears rolled down her cheak and she felt as if she would burst then and there. Am I a silly lady, she thought angrily, Or am I a warrior? She clenched her fists and fought the pain until she had the control over it. Now she ruled the power. She was a warrior!

Alanna's eyes widened. There, at the end of the tunnel, was a boy. He was about 14 years old and had black hair and blue eyes. Alanna felt as if she had seen him once, but she couldn't guess who he was. Where had she seen this face? She shook her head.

Then a huge, dark shadow shaped like a hooded man came between the boy and Alanna. Suddenly she realized where she was. She was between the world of the living and the Underworld. She drifted between Life and Death. The hooded man had to be the Dark God.

But why was she here? And who was this boy? Alanna felt sorry for the boy. Why should a fourteen-year-old boy die? Somehow she felt as if she should save him. Alanna wondered where that came from. She didn't even know the boy.

"Exuse me", she said politly. Alanna wanted to shut her mouth but she couldn't. A strange power seemed to force her to speak. "But you can't have him. Not yet. He's going to come back with me." Her voice was not hers. It was the voice of a woman. Is that the voice I'll have when I'm a woman, Alanna wondered.

The Dark God looked at her strangely. Then he nodded and disappeared. "Take my hand," Alanna told the boy and put forth her hand. The boy grabbed it. "Thank you", he said. His voice was deep and even, calm and commanding. It was the voice of a man, not that of a boy.

Their gripped hands burned white-hot, melting the shadows around them away. Their combined Gifts burned away the walls of that dark place.

Suddenly Alanna sat up, gasping for air. Sweat was running down her face. She looked around and saw that she was in her room again. She sighed. What was that, she wondered. It seemed so real. Alanna laid down on her bed again. No, it was just a dream. A very strange dream, but still a dream.

She didn't know that the boy with the sapphire eyes had just awoke, too. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. There were about five priests the small room, chanting prayers for him. They must have thought he was death. He sneezed. All eyes turned to him.

"The prince's alive!", one of the priests shouted, "He's awake!"

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How did you like it? I took some sentences from the book. Sorry. Tell me what you think.

**Please read:** I have a problem. Where will Alanna get lightning from? If you have any ideas, please tell me.


	5. Leaving her life behind

Yeah, I finally got an idea. I thought it was hopeless and I would have to quit the story, but now... I know how Alanna will get Lightning. Yeah! Sorry, but I'm really happy.

Thanks for the ideas, Darth Tater and Ace Ryn Knight, but I try to make the story as similar as possible to the book, so Alanna has to find Lightning herself.

**Warning: **Now the story gets a bit horrible, sorry. Couldn't think of another way. I'll make it PG-13 now. (It's not really horrible, I just wrote that because I don't want 9-year-olds to read that.)

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Two years later...

Alanna was very happy. Tomorrow the girls from the convent would go to Port Caynn. There they would be able to buy new clothes and jewelry or (in Alanna's case) other things. Alanna wanted to buy a sword. She had bought one at the little market in the City of the Gods, but it was just good enough to practice. Alanna wanted a sword, with which she could go on adventures. And she knew her old one wouldn't do.

The ride to Port Caynn was annoying for Alanna. They rode with carriages, five girls per carriage. The whole way the girls were chattering about dresses and jewelry and about the handsome knights at court. The most annoying thing was their giggles. Sometimes Alanna thought about how beautiful the ride would be if she could just gag the girls...(A/N: No, Alanna's not gone evil, she's just annoyed)

At Port Caynn...

The market at Port Caynn was amazingly huge. It seemed as if you could buy everything there. The girls were allowed to go where they wanted but they had to go in groups of five. 'It's too dangerous for ladies to go alone. You never know what kind of men are roaming the streets here', one of the teachers had told them. Alanna rolled her eyes. She could defense herself! But of course she couldn't tell them that. So how would she be able to buy a sword if she had to follow four silly girls? _Well, I could just go alone, they don't notice me anyway_, Alanna thought and vanished into the crowd.

Soon she had found what she had been looking for. A beautiful, manageable looking sword caught her eyes. It's haft was made of silver and it looked as if a snake wriggled around it. Alanna sighed. She could never buy something like that. It must have been Raven Armory….

Suddenly her arm was grabbed and she was dragged into a dark side street. The one that had grabbed her pushed her against a wall. It was a shady looking man, his eyes stared coldly at her and some of his teeth sparkled gold-colored. He grinned. "What do we have here? A little careless girl in a big city?"

"Let go of me!", Alanna screamed. She was afraid and sweat rolled down her face. What should she do now?

"Haven't your parents told you not to be polite to strangers?", he asked and grinned even more.

"I'm not polite to people like you! Now let go of me!", Alanna cried, struggling.

The man grabbed her arms even tighter. "You can scream as much as you want, but it won't help you! It would be better for you if you just put up with it."

Alanna spat on his face. "Never!"

The man slapped her hard on the cheek. "Little bitch!", he shouted at her.

Alanna kneed him in the guts. He screamed and let go of her arms. Alanna planted a punch on his chin. The man stumbled backwards but then he tried to attack her again. Alanna grabbed his arm and threw him over her shoulder. Alanna expected him to stand up again, but he remained lying on the ground. Then he looked up at her.

"You're lucky I have been told not to kill someone who is lying on the ground without a weapon. You would be death if I hadn't." Her voice was cold and a bit shaky.

Alanna turned around and ran away. It was enough now. She wouldn't stay. She wouldn't return to the convent anymore. Not after that. She knew she would have been raped if she hadn't known how to defense herself.

Alanna had made a decicion. She was going to run away. She didn't know where but that didn't matter to her. She would leave her life behind and forget about everything. She wasn't going to be a helpless and brainless lady with a brainless husband and brainless kids. No, she just wasn't going to. Never!

As Alanna ran through the streets of the city she was looking for a shop (A/N: maybe they didn't say 'shop', but well,….) where she could buy a bow and a dagger. If she wanted to survive in the wilderness she would have to hunt.

After Alanna had bought a bow, arrows and a dagger, she walked toward the north gate of the city and left the city. Huge grain fields stretched across the country and the lots of beautiful flowers bloomed. But Alanna didn't notice the wonderful sight. She just walked and walked and walked until she couldn't anymore. As it grew dark she reached the edge of a forest. There was also a big lake and Alanna decided to stay there for the night. She laid on the grass and fell asleep.

On the next morning Alanna took her new dagger. With her free hand she grabbed a strand of her hair and cut it off with the weapon. Lock after lock fell on the ground until Alanna's hair was as long as the hair of a boy. She looked in the water and smiled at her reflection. She wasn't Alanna of Trebond anymore. It didn't matter that she was a noble and a girl. She was just someone who roamed the country. No one would miss her and she would miss no one.

She also cut her skirt short, because it would be easier to walk that way. When that was done she continued her route. She went for days without much sleep and food. She didn't find much berries and she wasn't able to shoot any game.

On the fifth day of walking she felt really weak. She was still in the forest and Alanna climbed uphill. She made another step, but then she recognized that she couldn't anymore. And she fell to the ground, unconscious.

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No, don't worry, I'm not going to let Alanna die. Someone finds her, but who? The Goddess? George? Jon? Her brother? Or even a stranger? You'll find out in the next chapter. 


	6. Lightning

Thanks for your reviews! I'm so happy! Sum up the reviews of my two ff and you'll get...97!

3 more and I've got 100! I could scream like a seven-year-old when he has learned how to bicycle...lol

Ok, on with the story...

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Chapter 6: Lightning**

A small figure, wrapped in a big cloak rode across the land.(A/N: Haha, I'm not going to tell you who he is. Can you guess?) He gallopped as if someone was hunting him and his cloak waved in the strong wind. Then it began to rain heavily. The man cursed under his breath and urged his horse to run even faster.

He looked around as if he was looking for something or someone. _Where is she?_, he thought. _And why shall I find her? _He was confused. Strange dreams had been haunting him lately. Strange dreams about a little girl with purple eyes.

Flashback-

_Deep in a forest lay a young girl. She seemed to be about thirteen or fourteen. Her head was bleeding. It seemed as if it had been thud on the rock on which it was lying now. But still she looked as if she was alive. The strange thing about her were her eyes. And her hair…it was short, like the one of a boy and her skirt had also been cut._

_The picture of the girl slowly vanished. A pair of emerald eyes appeared in the darkness. "I have a task for you" someone said. Her voice - it definitely belonged to a woman- was husky and soft, like the wind blowing through the treetops and yet it reminded him of a pack of hounds belling in the hunt. _

The man shuddered at the memory of the voice. It had sounded like the voice of a goddess. He didn't like the thought about being given a task by a god or goddess. What if he failed?

"_Keep the look of the girl in mind. You have to find her. She's in danger and I doubt she'll survive if she is left in that forest alone for long. I know you're a good man, I trust you."_

_The big green eyes with the long lashes stared at him for a moment. It seemed as if they wanted to make sure he wouldn't forget them. _

"_The girl has an important duty. Everything could happen if she dies, but it surely wouldn't be something good. The kingdom of Tortall is in danger. When her time comes the girl with the purple eyes has to save the kingdom and the crown prince."_

_The eyes disappeared and the voice slowly faded. One last time it spoke up again. _

"_It's the girl's destiny. It's been written in the stars…"_

End of Flashback-

The man looked up. A forest spanned itself in front of him. It had to be the forest that he had seen in his dream. He didn't know how he was so sure about that, but anyway he was. He rode deep in the heart of the wood and looked everywhere. Then he heard hushed breathing.

He dismounted and walked towards the sound. There she laid, her head on a rock and her face pale. He kneeled down next to her and examined the wound on her head. It wasn't very deep and it would be healed in about three days if she was brought to a healer. But she was really thin. It seemed as if she hadn't eaten for days. The man ripped a piece of cloth off his tunic and bandaged the wound.

The girls slowly opened her eyes. "Who…who are…you?", she stammered.

"I'm Myles of Olau. I'm going to bring you to a healer and you'll get well again. Can you stand up?"

"I don't know", she answered and her voice was still a bit shaky. She tried to stand up but she stumbled and fell again.

Myles helped her up and the girl leaned against him. He brought her to his horse and helped her to mount up. He took the reins and headed for the next village.

* * *

A few weeks later….

Alanna sat on her new bed in her new home. After being healed Sir Myles had offered her to live at Barony Olau and after long thinking about it Alanna had accepted after all. She didn't want to go home to Trebond and of course she wouldn't go to the convent again.

Sir Myles was nice to her. He let her wear men's clothes and he helped her with her training. He had more and more become like a father for her, a father she never had had. It didn't matter to him that she was a girl or that she had run away from the convent or that she was stubborn and had quite a temper. He took her just as she was and Alanna's life started to become better.

One day Sir Myles took Alanna to the ruins of Barony Olau. The walls of the ruins were taller than Alanna was. They were built with marble, and the stone gleamed as if it had been carved the day before. A gate made of heavy black wood dangled half off its bronze hinges.

Alanna was fascinated, but somehow she wondered why it had been so important for Myles to show her the ruins. Not that she didn't want to go, she just wondered… "Why do you bring me here?", she asked finally.

"Because I was compelled", he answered casually.

Alanna's eyes grew wide in shock. "You were _what_?"

"I was compelled", he said again. "For seven nights in a row a had the same dream. You and I were exploring the ruins. As I asked you to go here with me two days before, the dreams stopped."

"Oh", Alanna said. She didn't understand all that. Why should she have to go to the ruins of Barony Olau? She was just a little girl…why should it be important for anyone that she went there?

"I'm an everyday man. I like when I know what comes tomorrow and when everything's in its place. I get nervous when the gods brush my life. You never know what happens if they brush your life."

_The gods, _Alanna thought, _What did she have to do with the gods? Why should they want anything from her? She wasn't one of the gods' chosen, was she? _Alanna shuddered. The thought of being one who was chosen from the gods made her nervous and let her shiver.

"Shall we go in?", Myles asked.

Myles showed Alanna all the rooms in the ruin and told her what he had found out and what he thought the rooms could have been.

After a few minutes Alanna found a spearhead on the floor. She looked around and saw brackets carved in the stone blocks lying nearby. Those brackets could easily fit spears, swords, axes-

"Myles!", she called. "I think I found the armory."

He came over. "I agree. But I'm interested in cooking gear, not weapons. You'll probably find more of these. You're a sharp fellow, Alanna.", he said with a grin.

Then a great piece of stone lying on the floor caught Alanna's eyes. Unlike the blocks that formed the walls it was black. A metal handle was set in one side. Alanna rubbed it with her shirtsleeve.

"What makes you think that?", she asked.

"How many thirteen-year-olds find out where the armory is in an old ruin. That's great, especially for a girl. Don't misunderstand me. I think it's great that there are girls who are interested in things like that, but still it's unusual, even if that's sad."

Then she tugged at the handle, but the stone didn't move. "Myles, you seem to think I'm special. I'm not, really." She tried again to make the stone move, with both hands this time.

"You are special. You can deny it but you are.", then he added with a smile, "And even if it's just because the gods seem to like you."

Alanna sighed. Then she looked at the stone again. "Myles, could you help me?"

"It won't move, anyway. I tried often enough. I think it's just the armory door."

But Alanna didn't give in. She braced her feet firmly, gripped the handle and tugged with all her strength. Suddenly there was a groan of mechanism long unused and the great stone moved away. It revealed a stairway, leading down into darkness.

"Don't you come with me?", Alanna asked as she saw Myles looking at her oddly.

"You….you….I tried to open it when I was sixteen and I was with another boy, who is the blacksmith now. How could you open it? You're only thirteen."

"I guess there was dirt in the gears and the rain washed it away. Come on now."

"Are you crazy? You can't go without light."

Alanna began to grin. "But I have _light_. Haven't I told you I have the gift?"

Myles stared at her for a few minutes. Then he smiled. "You have the gift? And you want to tell me you're not special.", he said.

A bright violet flame appeared on Alanna's palm and she trotted of down the passage. Alanna realized that there was something strange about the dark tunnel. Something down there seemed to call her, singing in her mind. And there was another something. It felt cold, black and ghostlike and somehow it seemed to be alive, hovering just outside the fire of her magic and waiting for the flame to die down. It frightened Alanna but the voice that sang in her head was stronger. Far stronger.

"Come back!", she heard Myles yell but the voice in her head made Myles screams fade away.

Then she saw something in her darkness. It was a crystal. Alanna touched it and recognized it was attached to the hilt of a sword. Alanna took it with trembling hands and shouted, "Myles! Come down and look what I've found!"

Suddenly the flame on Alanna's palm went out. Darkness began to surround her and long dark tentacles reached for her. Finally those tentacles grabbed her body and squeezed all the breath out of Alanna. She tried to scream and to fight against that something. She struggled and kicked but it was no use.

And then, for the first time in her life, Alanna stopped to fight. She had tried everything but she knew she had used up all her air and her strengh. The darkness entered her brain and she was dying.

Suddenly the crystal sword blazed, its light shoving the darkness out of her brain. The tentacles around Alanna's body let loose and Alanna drew in a lungful of air.

* * *

Back at Sir Myles' house…

Alanna sat in a big armchair and regarded the crystal sword in her hands. Myles voice woke her from her thoughts. "Do you think it has magic?"

Alanna looked up. "I'm sure it has. It has saved my life down there, but I don't know what kind of magic it is. I've got no control over it, that's for sure."

"Why don't you draw it?", Myles enquired.

Alanna stared at him, confused. "It's not my sword, I've found it in your ruins so it belongs to you."

But Myles shook his head. "No, it doesn't" As he saw that Alanna was still staring at him he sighed. "I've almost been forced to bring you here, don't you understand? I've pulled on that stone about a hundred times, but it has never opened and now it does when you try. That's no coincidence. The sword is meant to be yours so take it."

Alanna smiled and draw the sword.

"What will you call her?"

Alanna thought a bit but then she had an idea. "What about 'Lightning'?"

* * *

Hey, that was the longest chapter I've ever written...Please review! You know...klick on the button down there and write something (nice) about my story ;-) lol

The next chapter: The black city...


	7. The meeting in the desert

Thanks to all my reviewers! I'm sorry that it took me so long to update. It was because I had to write this fight and I really didn't want to. I'm not good at writing such things, you know.

**fey:** George and Jonathan are big, aren't they? I decided to make Myles find her because Alanna had to get Lightning….

**Bambolieblue:** I wanted it to be unexpected and I also wanted it to be different because I don't think Alanna would ever end up as a lady, no matter if she goes to the convent or not…. And I saw that almost all 'Alanna-goes-to-the-convent' stories are mostly the same, so I wanted to do something new. I like writing stories no one has ever written. My next ff will be about Thayet, her thoughts between the time when she came to Tortall until she married Jon. A bit sad, but interesting, I think.

**Chapter 7: The meeting in the desert**

Alanna rode on her new horse through the Great South Desert. She looked around and wondered why she was there? Why should she go to the desert? And why should she go alone?

Then she looked forward and saw a huge black city. Its dark walls glowed in the sun and it made Alanna shiver. Somehow she knew that something evil was in that city. Alanna stopped her horse but the city seemed to come closer and closer. Sweat rolled down Alanna's cheeks.

The city was now so close that Alanna could have touched the gate if she had reached for it with her hand. The gate opened but no one was seen who could have opened it. Alanna was scared and she wanted to scream but she couldn't. Something inside the big towers of the city seemed to call her. As if she was in a trance Alanna dismounted and walked in the city. Then she heard a sound behind her. She looked around and saw how the gate closed. Boom!

Alanna sat up in her bed. _Again one of those strange dreams, _Alanna thought, _They always seem so real. And that city...I know it... Yes, of course, it war that city I saw the fire four years ago. What does that mean? Maybe the gods want me to go there..._

Alanna stood up and opened her window to let a moderate breeze in. Her face was wet of sweat so she splashed cold water in her face. _Why should I do what the gods want me to do? What have they done for me? They didn't let me be a knight..._

Then she fought that over. Actually, it had been her father who had stopped her from becoming a page in the palace. Had the gods really got something to do with it? Then she remembered what Myles had said. 'I was compelled. For seven days I had the same dream' and 'That's no coincidence. The sword is meant to be yours'

_If Myles is right and the gods want me to have that sword, then maybe they **do **want me to be a warrior_, Alanna thought, _Perhaps it isn't such a bad idea to do what they want…maybe I should go to that black city. Maybe… _

* * *

"Alanna, the king has sent for me. I have to go back to court. I've been away the whole summer and now I have to continue with teaching the pages and squires. You could come with me.", Myles informed her as they were eating their breakfast.

"Myles, what should I do at the palace? They won't let me train as a page and you know I don't want to come to court as a 'lady'.", Alanna said, hoping she wouldn't have to go with him. She wasn't sure if she could stand the gazes they would give her if she came to the palace in breeches and tunic. She was tired of hearing someone talk about her behind her back.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to. I just wonder what you do here alone. Don't you think it'll get boring? And I could use help with some scrolls, which the king gave me to decode."

"I'm not that clever, Myles. I think you overrate myself. Anyway, I don't think it'll get boring because I won't stay here. I would like to ride to the Great Southern Desert.", Alanna said.

"Why do you want to go in the desert?", Myles inquired, a confused look on his face.

"Do you know a city which is completely made of black stone?", Alanna wanted to know.

"That's the black city. But Alanna…. you don't plan to go there, do you?"

"I do plan to go there. Is there something wrong with that?", Alanna wondered. _Myles seems to be scared_, Alanna thought, _Maybe this city is more dangerous than I've thought._

"Don't you know who lives in this city?"

"No, actually I don't"

Myles sighed and put his prongs away. "Now Alanna, listen to me." He cleared his throat and continued, "The old legends of the Bazhir- that's the name of the people who live in the desert- say that the Black City is cursed. They say ancient demons live in the city, the Ysandir. Sometimes a boy or a girl tries to run to the city and no one can stop them. They're as if they were in a trance. They say it's the Ysandir who call them. None of those kids who went to city has ever come back. They're people like Duke Roger who say that are just stories the Bazhir tell their sons and daughters to frighten them but every one – also the Duke – knows that there is something evil in this city. I can't tell which of these things are true and which are not, but this city is dangerous, that's for sure. You can't go there, Alanna, you'd never come back"

Alanna swallowed. She had thought that this city was dangerous but she didn't think it was that horrible. But she was still sure. She had to go there. And even if it was just to prove that women aren't easy to frighten.

"Myles, you don't understand. It's not my idea to go there. I was compelled like you were. I had those dreams. I don't like it when the gods barge in my life either, but still I can't refuse their plea. Why do you think they gave me that magic sword? To look at it?"

Myles stared at her. Why would the gods sent a little girl to certain death? They couldn't be so cruel, could they? Then he remembered the words of the goddess, 'When her time comes the girl with the purple eyes has to save the kingdom and the crown prince'. Could it come true? If that was her destiny then it wouldn't be a good idea to stop her.

"I don't think that's a good idea but if the gods want you to go, they'll find a way to make you go, anyway. I wish you wouldn't try something like this, but still I wish you luck." He stood up and walked over to her. Alanna hugged him quickly and thanked him.

"Be careful, Alanna."

* * *

Three days later Alanna wondered how close to reality her dream had been. As she was riding through the desert now everything looked and felt almost exactly the same. But somehow that scared her. As clear as she remembered the view of the desert in her dream as clear she remembered the fear she had felt when the door had closed behind her. _What if that door would never open again? _, she wondered. _What if I never get out of that city again?_

A few months earlier when she had still been at the convent Alanna had thought she wouldn't mind if she died. But now she did mind. Because now she had something like a family, she had Sir Myles and she had also made a few friends among the servants and men-at-arms at Barony Olau, who had taught her many things about swordsplay. Now she had better chances for the future and she wouldn't have to become a lady.

Life was strange. As she had felt sad and depressed she couldn't help it and now that she felt a lot better, she was probably going to die. What was the use of all this? To make her life even more complicated?

The sound of hooves shook her out of her thoughts. She looked up and saw a stranger riding towards her. As he came closer Alanna's eyes widened. She knew that face. She knew those eyes and that hair. It was the boy of her dream three years ago. Alanna began to wonder again if the dream had only been a dream or if it had been something more. But what she didn't know was that the boy was wondering about exactly the same.

"Who are you?", he asked, "And why are you riding through the desert alone?"

Alanna tried to hold a smile back. She was wearing breeches, shirt and tunic so no one who might see her would wonder. And he really thought she was boy…

"I'm Alan of Trebond," she said quickly after a pause of thinking. "My concerns are none of your business"

The young man stared at her without saying a single word for a while. Suddenly he began to grin. _What's so funny?_, Alanna wondered. Somehow that grin of his made her angry. She wasn't there for his entertainment, particularly if she didn't know what exactly was so hilarious.

Then his grin turned into laughter and it annoyed Alanna even more. How dare this man laugh at her? And why, for Mithros' sake?

"Why are you laughing at me?", she asked angrily. But then – before he could answer – it dawned on her. Suddenly she remembered where she had seen his face before her dream. She had seen it on a portrait. When she had been nine years old, her father had taken Thom and her to the palace in Corus for a visit. He had showed them the Hall of Crowns and there it had been…the portrait of that boy. He…he was the crown prince.

Alanna sighed of annoyance. Now she understood why he was laughing even if it was arrogant. Surely no one had ever talked to him like she had. She could imagine how everybody at court treated him as if he was china. But still he had no right to laugh at her like he did.

"If you would excuse me, your highness, I would like to continue my journey.", she said artificially politely.

"So you do know who I am?", he asked and grinned again, revealing spotless white teeth.

"Did you doubt my knowledge, your highness?"

But he ignored her question. "Trebond…hmm…I didn't know Lord Alan of Trebond had a son who's name is Alan, too."

"Well,.." Alanna stuttered, "He doesn't talk much neither about me nor about my brother Thom." she sighed. "Your highness, I'm sorry, but I really have to continue my ride. I have important things to do."

"Sure, I understand. Actually, I'm in a hurry, too. Good-bye, young Trebond"

The prince moved his horse and rode towards a little black point in the distance. Alanna's eyes widened as she realized that he was riding towards the Black City. Why would he be so crazy?

Alanna pushed her horse into a trot and followed the prince quickly. When she had caught up with him, he looked at her oddly.

"Are you crazy?", she asked.

"Why? Because I'm riding to the Black City? Just look at you. You're following me. Doesn't that mean you're crazy too?", he retorted.

"I'm not following you, I have to go there. But you're the crown prince, you can't risk your life like that."

"I can't? Just look how I can!", he said and gallopped away, leaving a very confused Alanna behind him.

Alanna shook her head in disbelieve. She had never thought a prince could be so careless. After all, the whole kingdom will be under his control one day. From what she knew he was the only son of the king, so if he would die there would be a civil war. And the prince seemed to enjoy risking his life and the lives of many others, too. How stupid!

Then Alanna had an idea. What if she would save him? What if a girl would save the prince? She could prove to everyone that women can fight and that they're good enough to become warriors. Alanna began smile to herself. She kicked her horse into a galopp too and soon caught up with him again.

"You can't go there alone, you know. You could die and the country really doesn't need a dead prince. I'm coming with you.", she announced.

"You want to come with me? How old are you? Twelve? You wouldn't survive."

"We'll rather survive if we go together, wouldn't we?"

The prince dismounted and drew his sword. "Show me if you can fight, Alan of Trebond!"

Alanna dismounted to and prepared to fight. "You'll wonder!", she told him.

Then he attacked. He swung his blade around, meeting Alanna's with a ringing sound. He bore down, trying to force her sword to the floor. Alanna held, every single muscle in her arm aching. But she smiled as she saw the look on the prince's face. It was obvious that he hadn't expected her to be that strong. He broke away and circled her. Alanna blocked all his attacks, waiting for the movement of his torso that would give his next thrust away and silently trying to spot his weakness. After some time the prince got tired. Alanna watched him breathing heavily and attacked. Her blade met the prince's with a clash, Alanna instantly pulled away and then thrust in again. She looked for an opening until she finally found one. She brought her sword down, under and up, catching his hilt and yanking the sword from his hand. It went flying.

Alanna pressed Lightning's brightly gleaming point into the prince's throat. He looked at her half-fascinated, half-puzzled. Now it was Alanna's time to grin. "As you see, your highness, I'm not as weak as I'm looking. So what do you think? Am I worth accompanying you?", she asked, putting Lightning back in its sheath.

"I'd feel far safer if you went with me, young Trebond. Forgive me for underestimating you. You're really not to be sneezed at.", he replied, smiling, too.

* * *

How did you like it? Or did you hate it? 


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